SitcomsOnline Digest: Must See TV on NBC Officially Dead; Enlisted and Back in the Game on MOD DVD

Saturday, December 13, 2014

SitcomsOnline Digest: Must See TV on NBC Officially Dead; Enlisted and Back in the Game on MOD DVD

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! Things are settling down in the world of sitcom news as we are approaching Christmas, but we're here with news of the (official) death of Must See TV, David Letterman's exit from The Late Show, and more. Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

NBC's Thursday night lineup has been a haven for sitcoms for the past 34 years, and most (if not all) of NBC's successful and memorable sitcoms since 1980 have aired as part of that lineup for most of their run. Now, it is completely dead, as NBC has turned Thursday night into drama night. (Complex)
Zap2It has ranked NBC's "Must See TV" sitcoms from best to worst, with Seinfeld making it to the top and Coupling making it to the bottom at #62. (Zap2it)
May 20 will be David Letterman's last night on The Late Show. No word yet on when Stephen Colbert will take over. (Washington Post)
Murder, She Wrote will debut on one of the broadcast retro networks for the first time ever on COZI TV in January. (SitcomsOnline)
MeTV is also looking ahead to a new lineup beginning January 1. (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

CBS will be releasing Petticoat Junction - Family Favorites on March 10, and while we don't know the exact content of this eight episode disc, it will likely consist of episodes from the seasons of the series that have been released so far.
Enlisted didn't last long on Fox, but it can last a lot longer on your DVD shelf, as Fox has released Enlisted - The Complete Series as a MOD release.
Another short-lived series is also available as a MOD release from Fox: 2013's Back in the Game, with Back in the Game - The Complete Series.

DECEMBER 16 HOME MEDIA RELEASES

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00NALHK5E/ref=nosim/happydaysonline5-20

Batman - The Complete Series (Blu-ray, $239.99): If this release sounds familiar, that is because technically it is already out on Blu-ray, but now Warner Home Video is bringing fans a lower priced version without the extras.
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis - The Final Season (DVD, $29.93): While the complete series was released long ago, Shout! now finishes up the individual season releases.

FOLLOW ME

Who to Follow: Todd Bridges (Twitter) "Todd Bridges\ actor / Director /stand up comic"

Claim to Fame: As we continue on our child stars from the past theme again this week, we have a child star from the series that really did give child stars a bad name: Diff'rent Strokes. Looking at the child stars from that series, Dana Plato was in trouble for armed robbery and dealt with drug abuse issues, Gary Coleman had a nasty financial battle with his parents, and Todd Bridges dealt with drug abuse and was even charged with the attempted murder of a drug dealer. Unfortunately, Plato and Coleman are no longer living, but Bridges is, and unlike the other two, he has managed to turn his life into something much more positive over the past two decades, and carrying a very positive and upbeat attitude towards life. Most recently, he had a recurring role on Everybody Hates Chris, as well as appearing in several reality shows. Among one of my personal favorite appearances of Bridges is his appearance in the video for The Black Keys song "Howlin' for You." As many of his fellow cast members have died since the series (in addition to the kids mentioned, Conrad Bain, Dixie Carter, Nedra Volz, and even Mary Ann Mobley), he seems to be among the few who will live the longest to remind us of the series.

Pick of the Tweets: "today me and my son are going to have a great time. I really love being a father." (November 26, 2013)

Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows

Sunday, May 11

The Simpsons - "Full Heart, Empty Pool" (Fox, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Homer and Grampa team up to create a new sport that rivals pickleball, until Homer kicks Grampa off.

Family Guy - "One Foot in Front of the Mother" (Fox, 8:30PM ET/PT)
Due to a police complaint about his excessive barking, Brian has to wear a shock collar; looking to join an after-school team, Chris discovers a talent for speed walking.

Krapopolis - "Don Tyxote" (Fox, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Ty gets a fancy new suit and with it, the confidence to invade Persia; Hippo is left home to defend the throne; Deliria and Shlub role-play.

The Great North - "Sunset Beeflevard Adventure" (Fox, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Judy joins the cast of a dinner theater production; Wolf and Honeybee help Moon sell jerky door-to-door.

Complete TV Listings

Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of May 5)

Friday, May 9

Paul Rudd (The Shrink Next Door/Living with Yourself/Wild Oats) - Watch Paul on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Matt Bomer (Mid-Century Modern) - Matt appears on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
Asif Ali (Deli Boys) and Saagar Shaikh (Deli Boys) - Asif and Saagar are guests on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
Busy Philipps (Girls5eva/Vice Principals/Cougar Town/Love, Inc.) - Busy chats with the ladies of The View on ABC at 11am ET/10am CT-PT.
Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory/Happy Family/Welcome to New York/Cybill) - Christine talks about Nine Perfect Strangers on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.
Holly Robinson Peete (Hangin' with Mr. Cooper/For Your Love/Like Family/Love, Inc.) - Holly swings by for a chat about her new film Hats Off to Love on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Crazy Ones) and Alyson Hannigan (How I Met Your Mother/Free Spirit) - NBC's Today catches up with Sarah and Alyson in the 9am hour.
Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - In this a little bit extra episode Drew shares more of her conversation with Brooke at the news desk on The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
Rebel Wilson (Super Fun Night) - Rebel joins Sherri to talk about starring in the new film Juliet & Romeo, so check your local listings.
Terri J. Vaughn (She the People/Mann & Wife/Meet the Browns/All of Us/The Steve Harvey Show) - Terri talks about starring in the new Netflix series She the People on Sherri, so check your local listings.
Julia Sweeney (Shrill/Work in Progress/Maybe It's Me/George and Leo) and Marsha Mason (Grace and Frankie/The Middle/Sibs) - Julia and Marsha talk about My First Ex-Husband on PIX11 Morinng News on WPIX in New York at 9:40am.